Gophers Topple Terrapins in Three Sets

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MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 9 University of Minnesota volleyball closed its first weekend of Big Ten play with a three set win against the Maryland Terrapins, 25-13, 25-12, 25-16.

"I think we did a good job of making them work, executing with the serve and staying in system," head coach Hugh McCutcheon said. "Defensively we were really efficient and I thought Katie [Myers] and Ellie [Husemann] were excellent in the middle."

The Golden Gophers (7-3, 2-0 Big Ten) were led by redshirt senior opposite Stephanie Samedy and sophomore outside Jenna Wenaas, who had 11 kills each. Junior middle blocker Ellie Husemann had a career day on the defensive end, tallying a career-high eight nine assists as Minnesota held Maryland to a -.096 attacking percentage. Taylor Landfair also tacked on eight kills while CC McGraw led the team with 15 digs.

As a team, Minnesota hit .302 with 37 kills, one ace, 52 digs and 14 blocks. Maryland (13-1, 1-1 Big Ten) hit -.096 with 24 kills, five aces, 46 digs and four blocks.

Set Breakdown:
Set 1: The two teams exchanged the first six points of the match before a 4-1 Minnesota run gave the Gophers a 7-4 lead. A pair of block assists by Ellie Husemann began what was the start of a strong defensive set for the home team. Kills from Landfair, Samedy and Wenaas kept the momentum going throughout the middle of the set and gave the Gophers their then largest lead of the set at 13-9. A kill by Katie Myers off an overpass led to a Terrapins timeout. Maryland would get no closer the rest of the way as Minnesota cruised to a 25-13 set one win. The Gophers hit .182 and held the Terps to just -0.167. Husemann had six block assists in the first set as the 'U' had 6.0 team blocks. Wenaas led the offense with four kills while Landfair and Samedy had two each.

Set 2: Minnesota quickly jumped out to a 6-1 advantage, getting kills from Samedy and Wenaas in addition to three dual blocks, with Husemann a part of two. Only seven points into the second set and she has already left her mark on the match with eight block assists. The Terps called their first timeout, but it failed to slow Minnesota's momentum as the home team reeled off five of the next seven to go up 11-3 and force another Maryland timeout. A kill from Wenaas and a solo block from Myers sparked the mid-set rally. Minnesota would go on to extend its lead to as many as 14 at 22-8 after a kill from Husemann before going on to win the set, 25-12. Landfair and Samedy had three kills each to pace the offense in set two as the Gophers hit .333 and held the Terps to just -.194.

Set 3: Maryland and Minnesota battled throughout the early stages of the set, splitting the first 18 points for a 9-9 tie before a 4-1 Gophers run gave Minnesota a 12-9 lead. Wenaas had five kills and Samedy had four in the first 14 Gophers points of the set to pace the offensive attack. With Minnesota leading 14-11, Maryland called its first timeout of the set. Two straight points after the break from the Terps cut the Gophers lead to one at 14-13 before a 5-0 run gave the home team full control with a 19-13 lead. Minnesota refused to let its opposition get closer than six points the rest of the way and ended up finishing the set with a 6-2 run to win, 25-16.

.@Merepoppins gives a rundown of today's 3-0 victory over Maryland at the Pav.

Samedy and Wenaas led the 'U' with 11 kills each. pic.twitter.com/P3XDSKby32
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) September 26, 2021

Notable:
-Minnesota is now 17-0 all-time against Maryland, including 13-0 under Hugh McCutcheon.
-In the 13 matches between the two since 2014 when Maryland joined the Big Ten, 11 of them have been decided in three sets.
-Maryland's -.096 hitting percentage is a season-low for Gophers opponents. St. Thomas hit -.054 on Sept. 16.
-Stephanie Samedy led Minnesota in kills for the eighth time in 10 matches this season with 11.
-Jenna Wenaas tallied 11 kills, her ninth time in 10 matches this season with double digit kills. She also added nine digs and two blocks
-CC McGraw led Minnesota with 15 digs.
-Melani Shaffmaster registered 29 assists in addition to two kills, five blocks and five digs.
-Ellie Husemann had a career night on the defensive end, tallying a career-high nine block assists.

Up Next:
Minnesota travels to No. 2 Wisconsin on Friday, Oct. 1 for an 8 p.m. CT match on BTN. They'll play at Northwestern on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

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Team Stats

Stephanie Samedy

Jenna Wenaas

Taylor Landfair

Ellie Husemann

Players Mentioned

Ellie Husemann

Taylor Landfair

CC McGraw

Katie Myers

Stephanie Samedy

Melani Shaffmaster

Jenna Wenaas

Players Mentioned

Ellie Husemann

Taylor Landfair

CC McGraw

Katie Myers

Stephanie Samedy

Melani Shaffmaster

Jenna Wenaas

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